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HAILEY, Idaho -- Almost since the news two weeks ago that a U.S.
soldier had been captured in Afghanistan, a small circle of people
in this central Idaho town of 7,000 have known it was one of their
own: a local family's only son who was home-schooled here, danced
at the local ballet school and rode his bike everywhere, was in the
hands of the Taliban.

Out of respect for Pfc. Bowe R. Bergdahl Bergdahl's intensely
private family and fear that anything they might say could make his
situation more precarious, however, neighbors have kept Bergdahl's
Hailey origins under wraps. The Pentagon wasn't talking either; all
that U.S. Department of Defense officials said in early July was
that a U.S. soldier was believed in enemy captivity.

The 23-year-old Bergdahl was serving with a unit based in Fort
Richardson, Alaska, earlier this month when he vanished, just five
months after arriving in Afghanistan, officials said. He was
serving at a base near the border with Pakistan in an area known to
be a Taliban stronghold.

Only after Saturday's Internet airing of a 28-minute video in
which Bergdahl is shown captive and says he fears never going home
again did DOD officials finally release his name. Some of
Bergdahl's friends and acquaintances are also slowly opening up,
too, with permission from his father.

In an era where captives are valuable commodities in
transactions of terror, secrecy is no accident. Just as the New
York Times stifled virtually all publicity surrounding the
seven-month captivity of journalist David Rohde before his escape
last month from a Taliban stronghold, the DOD decided the best for
Bergdahl was as little news as possible.

"The Department of Defense has always thought throughout this
whole situation that we were going to do whatever we could possibly
do with the safety of this soldier in mind," said Lt. Col. Tim
Marsano, a spokesman for the Idaho National Guard. "Efforts to
secure his return are the primary consideration."

In the video posted Saturday, Bergdahl confirms his name and his
hometown. The Pentagon confirmed his identity Sunday - nearly three
weeks after he went missing amid conflicting reports.

On July 2, two U.S. officials conceded a soldier had "just
walked off" his base near the border with Pakistan with three
Afghans after his shift, but wouldn't release details. Four days
later, the Taliban claimed "a drunken American soldier had come out
of his garrison" and was captured by mujahedeen.

In the case of the New York Times' Rohde, who escaped with an
Afghan journalist on June 19, media outlets including The
Associated Press cooperated in the secrecy.

In Idaho, it was residents of Hailey, a tight-knit mining
town-turned-resort community about 12 miles south of Sun Valley,
who worked to keep tight the circle of those who knew of the
hostage crisis.

In fact, some neighbors who learned about Bergdahl's plight the
old fashioned way - down at the cafe, perhaps, or via a discreet
phone call - said Sunday they were respecting the wishes of the
Bergdahls by not speaking publicly. The family, described as deeply
private, lives about six miles west of Hailey on a remote gravel
county road. Out front, a cardboard-and-ink placard wired to the
chained and locked front gate reads "No visitors."

One neighbor just down the road ordered reporters off his
property, threatening violence.

Idaho Gov. C.L. "Butch" Otter, along with the state's
congressional delegation. said Sunday he only learned of Bergdahl's
captivity days earlier, but opted to keep the soldier's name quiet
until it was officially released.

Sue Martin, owner of Zaney's River Street Coffee House where
Bergdahl poured espressos before enlisting in the Army in 2008, had
installed a sign on the front counter urging people to keep "Our
friend who has been captured in Afghanistan" in their thoughts and
prayers.

But she didn't use his name and later removed the sign, partly
out of concern that the Bergdahls were against it.

It was only after getting their permission Sunday that Martin
spoke about the young man, who she said shared friendly banter with
regulars there for their morning shot of brew.

Martin has also returned the sign to the front counter - this
time with Bergdahl's full name - along with a large yellow placard
taped to the front window that reads "Get Bowe Back."

"It was in light of concern for Bowe's well-being," Martin said.
"If the military wasn't releasing his name, we didn't feel we
should be releasing it either."

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